June

June: Compassion
Showing kindness in all situations

In
June, students will practice kindness. They will identify situations
where it may be difficult to show compassion, for example, when you are
having a disagreement. We will discuss why it may be easier to show
compassion towards people who have similar beliefs, traditions,
appearance, and lifestyles. As a community we will value the ability to
develop positive, collaborative relationships, with a diversity of
people, and recognize how showing kindness in all situations may help us
meet this goal. We will show compassion even when others are unkind to
us, practicing forgiveness, accepting apologies, and starting each day
fresh with confidence and optimism.

Home-to-School Connection

Practice compassion at home with your child! Please choose from the following options or create your own.

Make time to talk, take time to listen...Select as many
questions as you would like to discuss. These questions are intended to
serve as a starting point for you and your child to learn more about
yourselves and each other.

What is compassion? How may I be kind and show people I care?When should I help others?How can I be compassionate when having a disagreement?How can I be kind towards people who think differently than me?When do I need others to show compassion towards me?How can I show compassion towards someone I don’t know or dislike?How can I show compassion towards our environment?What should I do when someone is unkind towards me?What should I do when I am unkind towards someone else?How do we depend on others to survive?How can I become more involved in caring for people in my community?

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Activities

Quotes – Read and discuss any of the following quotes. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. — Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd American President (1882-1945)

Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting. — William Arthur Ward, American writer (1921-1994)

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. — Mohandas Gandhi, Indian nonviolent civil rights leader (1869-1948)

It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely. — Leo Buscaglia, author and university professor (1924-1998)

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. — Aldo Leopold, American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist (1887-1948)